Under the Sleeping Curse
by 14hpgirl19
Summary: Regina's past has come back to hurt her... Literally. She's become a victim of her own sleeping curse, and everyone knows the only way to break that is True Love's Kiss. The problem is, who is her True Love? Two-shot. Outlaw Queen.
1. Chapter 1

**Another scenario I could see happening in the future. I hope you enjoy it!**

**This will be a two-shot.**

Regina never saw it coming.

It had been time for the final battle against the Wicked Witch. Too many people had been hurt by her, and Emma had declared that it was time to put an end to it. For once, Regina had been in agreement with the Savior, and they had set out to defeat Zelena. They figured that with their combined power and the element of surprise, they could take her. The Witch had been preoccupied with tormenting everyone else in Storybrooke; Emma and Regina could surely slip in and at the very least disarm her and take her in.

At least, that was what they _thought._

In hindsight, Regina realized it was a stupid idea. Awful, really. But Henry still didn't remember her, and that feeling of pain made her act irrationally. At this point, she would do anything that might bring her son back to him, and maybe if they eliminated Zelena they could focus on restoring Henry's memories.

Of course, Henry was not the only one with missing memories. The whole town still had a year missing from their brains, including Regina. That was why she forgot about the sleeping curse she had made at her castle, and about how Zelena had taken it from her.

So when her dear, estranged older sister waved the hairpin around in front of her, Regina had just sneered. _That_ was all this woman had as a weapon? An accessory? Regina laughed in her face. Oh, how she would relish this victory. It was so close, she could almost taste it.

Regina had barely felt the prick of the pin, had barely heard Emma shout "Regina!" before darkness consumed her. She collapsed right where she stood, immediately falling under the effects of the curse. Zelena cackled, and Emma lunged at her, but she disappeared in a cloud of green smoke. Emma let out a frustrated cry before sinking to the ground beside Regina.

"Oh god, what happened to you?" she whispered.

* * *

Emma called David, and he arrived to help her bring Regina back into town. They delivered her to Gold's shop, where she lay in the backroom, on the same bed David had rested on while under his own sleeping curse. Snow had greeted them at the door, and while Emma recounted the whole thing to her parents, Hook, Tinker Bell, and Robin Hood joined them. Tinker Bell assured Emma that Henry was off safely with Ruby and Granny, still blissfully unaware about what was going on.

"Well, what do we do?" Snow asked once Emma finished her tale. "As much as I know we hate to admit it, we're powerless against the Witch if we don't have Regina."

"I know," Emma groaned. "But how to we wake her?"

"Well, True Love's Kiss, of course," supplied David. He was standing behind Snow, who was perched on a stool. Hook was leaning against the back cabinet, a concerned look on his face. Tinker Bell and Robin hovered by the edge of the bed. Robin was staring at Regina with an unreadable expression.

"But who could provide that?" Hook asked, waving his hook in the air.

"Henry," said Emma right away.

"Yes, but would that work?" wondered Snow. "He has no idea who she is."

"True Love is still True Love," Tinker Bell spoke up. "It might work."

"Do you think Henry would agree to kissing Regina?" David asked Emma.

"You make it sound like it's making out," Emma said disgustedly.

"You know what I mean."

"I think I can…" Emma began to ramble off ways to get Henry to agree, with her parents offering up more ideas.

Robin had stopped listening. He abruptly turned away from the bed, walking to the other side of the room. There was a faraway look in his eyes. Absentmindedly, he started scratching his right wrist.

Something was nagging at him; he just didn't know what. He had been walking down the street when he saw Emma and David bring Regina into the shop. His stomach had twisted when he realized how lifeless Regina looked, and he sprinted to catch up with them. He wanted to help, but now that he was there, he had no idea what to do.

"Then it's settled," Snow said. "Henry will wake Regina up. Hopefully."

"I'll go get him," Emma said. "I should be the one to explain all this."

She left, and Hook followed. Snow and Tink continued to stand watch over Regina, who looked more calm and peaceful than each woman had ever seen her. Robin was still loitering on the other side of the room. He felt out of place there, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. He had to know Regina was okay.

"Hey, are you alright?" David asked Robin. The prince joined the thief by the wall, and Robin's scratching increased.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." He nodded towards Regina. "I just hope she'll be able to wake."

David eyed him. "Henry should be able to do the trick. It'll work out." He tilted his head to the side. "Were you and Regina close back in the Enchanted Forest? I haven't seen you two hang out much here in Storybrooke."

Robin shook his head. "If we were, I cannot remember. I'm still clueless."

"Right. Sorry. It's just… you seem to care for her."

Robin shrugged casually, though there was an odd feeling in his chest. "She's been kind to my son and I."

"Right…" David didn't sound convinced. Before he could further push the subject, however, Emma, Hook, and Henry arrived.

"And why do I have to do this again?" Henry asked, clearly confused and a little freaked out. He stared at Regina's still form with apprehension.

"Because this is your chance to be a hero, like in your video games," Emma recited, sounding like she had repeated this over and over on the way back to the shop. "And because I said you had to."

Henry sighed, but nonetheless stepped up to the bed. Everyone else in the room held their breath as the young boy bent over and pressed a gentle kiss to Regina's forehead. A few seconds passed, and nothing changed.

"How long does this usually take?" Emma asked her parents expectantly. Snow and David exchanged anxious looks.

"She should be awake by now," Snow said quietly.

Everyone stared at Regina. Her eyes were still closed. She was still lost in her deep sleep.

"But if that didn't work…" Emma was dumbfounded.

"What will?" Hook finished Emma's question. The group looked around at one another, each praying someone would have a solution. Robin idly scratched his wrist, and Snow played with her wedding ring. They were all at a loss.

Tinker Bell turned away and paced the back of the room. She desperately tried to think up a possible idea, but kept coming up blank. True Love's Kiss was the one thing that could save them now, and their only option for that had failed.

_There must be another way,_ she thought. _Something we're missing…_

Tink surveyed the group. Henry still looked confused, and a little annoyed that nothing had happened. Hook was watching Regina as if there was still a chance the queen would wake up. Emma was running through possible ideas with her parents, though each one sounded weaker than the last. Robin's gaze kept moving around the room, though it would always halt on Regina longer than anywhere else. He looked scared and worried, far more worried than a normal acquaintance would be.

Tink's eyes dropped to his right wrist, where his sleeve had ridden up just slightly due to all the scratching. She could just make out a black mark, like a tattoo.

_True Love's Kiss…_ Tinker Bell was suddenly transported to several years ago, when she stood outside a tavern with Regina. Tink had directed Regina to her True Love… the man with the lion tattoo.

In a flash, Tinker Bell was by Robin's side. Everyone's attention had snapped to her at her movement. Robin looked startled.

"What's wrong?"

"May I?" Tinker Bell pointed to Robin's wrist. He still looked stunned, but he nodded nonetheless. Tinker Bell slowly rolled up his sleeve, revealing the infamous tattoo. Her eyes widened.

Their problem was _solved._

"Alright, what's going on?" Emma asked.

"You have to kiss her," Tinker Bell said quickly. Robin's mouth fell open slightly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Just trust me on this, please." Tinker Bell looked around at everyone. "I really think this will work."

"Me?" Robin shook his head. "That's not possible."

"Believe me, it's not as crazy as it seems," Tink insisted.

"It's worth a shot, mate," Hook said. He clearly didn't think it would work. No one did. Robin certainly didn't. However, he was desperate. He hadn't realized how much he missed Regina's eyes until they were closed off from him. He would try anything.

Hesitantly, he headed over to the bed. Emma and Henry stepped out of the way, allowing Robin full access. He lowered himself down beside Regina, sitting right next to her arm. Without thinking, Robin ran his hand through her hair, pushing it back off her forehead. She looked quite beautiful like this, but it was a lie. She wasn't resting peacefully, and Robin knew it.

He leaned forward and kissed her lips. It was quick, long enough only to ensure that he had made complete contact. He had just straightened his back when the unthinkable happened.

Regina's eyelids fluttered.

And after a moment, they opened.


	2. Chapter 2

**Some people might have read this already since I posted it Friday. However, I don't think a new chapter alert got sent out. My emails were definitely not working this weekend for Fanfiction, so I just decided to repost this to make sure everyone knows about the chapter.**

** I hope you enjoy! Thank you all so so much for the support. It has been amazing.**

Darkness. That was all there was under the sleeping curse. Darkness, and regret.

Regina had told Snow back in the Enchanted Forest that the curse would not cause her death, but instead bring about nightmares of her worst regrets. Regina had laughed at it then, but now it terrorized her. Sure, she had said back in Neverland that she had no regrets, but this curse seeped into every part of her body, including her mind. Her worst memories were brought up to the forefront now, and she could not hide from them.

_Daniel, falling to the hay covered floor of the barn, dead, while her mother crushed his heart…._

_Her mother flying through the looking glass after Regina pushed her…_

_Her father's wide-eyed look as she ripped his heart out…_

_Henry, lying lifeless in the hospital, and again in the cave in Neverland…_

_Walking away from the man with the lion tattoo…_

…_The man with the lion tattoo…_

Something was moving through Regina. There was a warmth spreading through her body at a rapid pace. She was paralyzed to stop it, paralyzed to stop anything that happened to her in this hell. So when the light began to push through the darkness, she followed it.

It felt like waking up, but at the same time it was so much more. It was as though she was coming back to life. And in a way, she was.

True Love's Kiss. That was the one thing that could have brought her back. The warmth moved to her heart as she realized what this all meant. Henry. He must have saved her. He must have come back to her.

Regina slowly opened her eyes, wanting to savor the image of Henry standing above her, no doubt with a smile on his face. She could feel a smile of her own creeping up.

The smile froze, then disappeared when she discovered Henry wasn't the one sitting by her side.

It was Robin Hood.

She could hear shocked whispers from whoever else was in the room as she sat bolt upright. Her head spun at the sudden movement, and Robin placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. He seemed dazed, completely surprised it had worked. Regina shrugged his hand off and swung her legs off the bed, planting her fee on the ground. She slid to the right, away from Robin.

"What the hell just happened?" she demanded. There was an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Tinker Bell was smiling like the cat that ate the canary. She looked _far_ too smug for her own good. Regina frowned.

"You mean like _just_ happened?" Emma asked, her eyes darting back and forth between Regina and Robin. "Or like everything that happened after we went to the Witch's house?"

"Either one works, Ms. Swan," snapped Regina. She could feel both Tinker Bell and Robin's eyes on her, and she was steadfastly avoiding them by focusing on Emma.

"Well," started Emma, "you were put under a sleeping curse."

"You don't say."

"Calm down," Charming said with a touch of anger. Regina glared at him.

"What are you even doing here?"

"I helped bring you in," he replied hotly. Regina felt a stab of guilt. Curse him and his never-failing goodness.

"_Anyway,_" interjected Emma, "we brought you here and tried to think of ways to wake you up."

"So, what, you went through the whole group?" Regina asked sardonically. "I don't particularly enjoy the idea of Snow kissing me."

"We didn't do that," Snow insisted. She looked nervous. "We got Henry."

Regina's heart practically stopped. That wasn't possible.

"You mean… it didn't work when he…" She dropped her gaze to the ground. Tears were beginning to pool in her eyes. It wasn't supposed to happen this way.

"No." Emma's voice was soft, sympathetic.

"Where is he now?" Regina managed. She hadn't seen her son amongst the small group.

"We sent him back to Granny's," Emma answered.

Regina did not want to know what had happened after that. She didn't care. She stood up and started to move to the door, but Tinker Bell got in her way. Regina glowered at her.

"Move," she ordered. Tink straightened her back, trying to make her small frame imposing.

"No."

"I'd like to go home now."

"You don't want to know why Robin was able to wake you?"

"It was probably a faulty curse. Not mixed right or something. If Henry wasn't able to wake me…" She cut herself short. It was too hard to admit. Regina shook her head and looked Tinker Bell straight in the eye. "Now _move_."

"How can you be so selfish?" Tinker Bell shook her head in amazement. "The man saved your _life_ and you don't want anything to do with him?"

"I wasn't dead!"

"Close enough!"

By now, the two women were in each other's faces. There was a fierce look in Tinker Bell's eyes, and Regina knew she wasn't getting out of this. She took a marginal step back. Tink smirked.

"Do you remember the man with the lion tattoo?"

Regina's stomach plummeted to the floor. Her mind flashed back to the nightmare she had seen while under the curse. She could see the tattoo clearly in her mind now.

Sometimes, when she got lonely, Regina would think back to that man. She would wonder where he was, what he was doing, who he was. She wondered what her life would have been like if she had gone into the tavern and met him. She wondered if they would have been together, if she would have been happy. Whenever her thoughts turned to that possibility, she shoved it away. She couldn't afford thoughts like that. It was in the past. It was done.

"Yes." Regina's response was nearly inaudible.

"Well…" Tinker Bell's eyes slid past Regina, just over the queen's shoulders. Gulping, Regina turned. Robin was still sitting on the bed, watching her with a curious expression. His face was flushed. When their eyes met, he wordlessly extended his right hand, baring his wrist. Regina's heart sped up at the sight of the black tattoo inked in his skin.

It was _really _him.

"If I may?" Hook asked, breaking the silence. For once, Regina was grateful to hear him speak. Anything was better than the quiet.

"What exactly does that tattoo mean?" he continued. Dread washed over Regina, and she wished they were still standing in silence.

"Regina?" Tinker Bell prompted. She gave the dark haired woman an expectant look. Regina felt sick.

"It's – it's nothing," she stuttered.

"Certainly doesn't seem it," Emma muttered. Regina couldn't even muster a frown.

"I'm done here." Regina once again turned to leave, but someone stopped her. And this time, it wasn't Tinker Bell."

"No." A hand grasped her arm, and she halted unsteadily. The strong, accented voice both made her heart rate increase and her stomach to lurch.

Robin turned Regina so they were facing each other. His brown eyes shone with an intensity that took Regina's breath away.

"Let go of me," she said with difficulty. The close proximity was dizzying.

"No," he repeated. "I think I deserve a right to know what my tattoo means to you. Why you know me as 'the man with the lion tattoo.' And most importantly, why I was able to wake you up."

Silence reigned again as Regina and Robin stared each other down. Robin was still holding her arm. His touch was warm. Hook leaned forward slightly, interested in the showdown. Snow's eyes were wide, and they moved back and forth rapidly. Emma fidgeted with the cuff of her red leather jacket.

"Maybe we should go," Charming said finally.

"Yeah, we'll give you your privacy," Snow said with a slight reluctance.

Tinker Bell ushered the four of them out, giving Regina an encouraging smile before following. Robin finally released Regina's arm, and there was a lingering warmth from it. Regina had never felt more nervous in her entire life.

"So," Robin started, leaning against the back counter.

"So," Regina said lamely. Robin's face softened.

"Just tell me the truth, Regina."

Regina was about to come up with some lie, some excuse, but then she saw the look in his eyes. It was honest, and open, and earnest. No one had looked at her like that in so long. It was nice. She felt herself drawn to him, just because of his eyes.

Taking a shaky step forward, she lowered herself onto the bed and smoothed the front of her skirt. Her gaze landed on a spot on the floor and didn't move.

"Years ago," she began, "when I first met Tinker Bell, she wanted to help me. I was in an unhappy marriage – an unhappy life, really – and she was determined to, I don't know, fix it. And in her eyes, love was the way to do that.

"She told me I could find my True Love with the use of Pixie Dust. I didn't believe her, but she was insistent. She brought me to a tavern in some village with the guidance of the Dust, and it led us – well, me really – to a man. I couldn't see his face, but what I _could _see was," her breath hitched momentarily, "his tattoo. On the right wrist. A lion."

"This lion," Robin stated, holding out his wrist again. There was no question, no doubt.

"Yes," Regina whispered. "The very same."

Robin was silent for a moment as he processed everything. Eventually he spoke again.

"So, I'm your True Love?"

Regina clasped her hands together tightly on her lap. She was so certain he could hear her heartbeat.

"It appears so. You must be, if you were able to… wake me."

Robin rubbed his chin. Regina did not dare to look up. Mr. Gold's floorboards were nice.

"Why didn't you come meet me that night?"

At this point it was like the dam had broken. Regina couldn't stop the words flowing from her mouth.

"I was scared. Terrified, really. I had thought I already had my True Love. There was a man I loved with all my heart, but he died. And I was so certain there was no one else for me." Regina paused. "And I think I was afraid of being happy."

"Why would you be afraid of that?"

She shook her head mournfully. "I hadn't been happy in _so_ long. I didn't think it was inside of me." She bit her lip. "I was afraid that if I was happy, all the anger I had in my heart would go away, and I would be nothing. I would have nothing to weigh me down. I would just fly away."

Regina wasn't aware Robin was moving until she felt the bed dip beside her. She stiffened instinctively.

"You wouldn't be nothing. You would be _happy_. You would be loved."

"You think you could love me?" She still wouldn't look at him. She couldn't. "I'm the Evil Queen. I'm a monster, a villain. I've been rude to you, cruel even." She turned her head to the left only slightly, so her line of sight still did not reach him. "How could you ever accept me?"

Regina felt, rather than saw, him shrug. He was so close, his shoulder brushed hers. It seemed natural, the feeling of him moving next to her. She rather liked it.

"You weren't the Evil Queen back then, were you?"

"It doesn't matter what I was then! That's the past! It matters what I am now."

A pause, then a hand stretched out and gently cupped the right side of her face. It guided her head towards Robin, so that she had no choice but to look at him. His eyes were so expressive. Regina could lose herself in them.

"From what I've seen of you, the word 'evil' doesn't suit you. I've heard stories, sure, but they don't hold a candle to the reality." His thumb stroked her cheek. She unconsciously moved into his touch.

"You can't be agreeing to this," she said doubtfully, wearily. The thumb ceased its movements.

"And what exactly is 'this'?" he asked softly.

"You know what." She was afraid to verbalize it, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Say it, Regina." She loved the way he said her name.

"You and me, together."

Before, she couldn't look him in the eye, but now she couldn't look away. She held his gaze, almost defiantly. When he turned her down, she would be sure he saw her face clearly.

Robin said nothing, but instead closed the gap between their lips and kissed her. Regina was so shocked that she didn't respond until after he moved away again. She lamented the loss of contact immediately.

"Does that answer your question?"

Her mouth fell open slightly. She blinked a few times.

"I – No – I mean -" She let out a frustrated sigh. "You're just doing that because I told you we're supposed to be in love. You think it's mandatory."

"I can assure you that is not the case," Robin said earnestly. He took both her hands in his. "There is something about you, Regina, that drives me crazy. In a good way. You… for lack of a better word, intrigue me. And I want nothing more than to learn more about you. To get to know you. I don't care about your past. I have my own past I don't always appreciate. I'll tell you all about it." He squeezed her hands. "I want to try this."

Regina's mouth was dry. His hands were rough, yet gentle and warm. His offer was too appealing. Her resolve was breaking.

"I just – I don't – How can I trust you?" She hated how pitiful her voice was.

"You just have to," he said simply. "That's what love is."

She eyed him wearily. "You really want this?"

"Just say yes or no, Regina."

She could spend days analyzing this, going over every option. She wished she could, just to make sure she would make the right choice. But she didn't have that luxury. Not this time. It was now or never.

For the first time, she thought with her heart instead of her head. She ignored all the fears, and all the things telling her not to, and moved with her heart. She wanted to be happy. It had been so long since she had been.

Her kiss was tentative and hesitant, but he accepted it nonetheless. After a few seconds, he moved closer, deepening it. Regina followed his movements, losing herself in this perfect moment.

She could be happy. She could accept this.

She could get her happily ever after.


End file.
